


Pediatrics

by IsisKitsune



Series: What to do when your Genius, or Doctor, become children [1]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: De-aged tony, Domestic, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Kid Fic, Light Angst, Nightmares, Sickfic, hints of PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-08-30 18:19:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8544052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsisKitsune/pseuds/IsisKitsune
Summary: Well, every doctor has to work in Pediatrics at one point or another. (Even if it's just intern to complete their PHD)So, why not a kid!fic





	

**Author's Note:**

> I had this weird thought in my head, and shared it with my sister. Basically this all started with the image of kid!Tony hugging the Cloak of Levitation to his chest laughing and crying out "Cawpet!"
> 
> Tony's age in fic is unknown. It falls into the range of "Too young too know that" but then again canon and fanon Tony is a smart little shit.
> 
> Might add epilogue, not positive, marked complete for now

Dr. Stephen Strange was absolutely dumbfounded at the scruffy haired boy brought to the Sanctum, “I'm sorry, what?”

The man that brought the boy to him sighed, looked to count to ten, before saying again, “Dr. Strange, this is Tony Stark. Please, tell me you can help fix this?”

He groaned and rubbed his eyes as the boy just blinked at him before looking passed him into the Sanctum. Stephen instantly knew that something in the realm of time had been thoroughly messed with and most likely broken to cause this. Unbeknownst to either the boy wormed his way passed the sorcerer and up to the cases of intriguing and glittering items. The boy watched a splash of bright red float around the corner and blinked before following it, his fast footsteps finally alerting the two to his disappearance. “Tony? Damnit,” both took off after the boy the moment they realized he was gone.

-

Both sighed when they nearly collided with the child sitting in the middle of the floor, Stephen laughed as the cloak of Levitation flailed at him to help while the boy laughed and hugged the cloak to his chest. “It wike Awwiddin's cawpet!”

After a long blink, he smirked, “I suppose you could say that,” Stephen smiled when Dr. Banner just sighed.

“It was Natasha's idea to watch Disney movies...” Bruce shrugged at Stephen's amused look, “It kept him busy while we tried to figure out how to fix it.”

“Alright, could you start from the beginning at least? What happened to cause this?”

“Honestly, the only one that knows that is Tony,” the child blinked up at them with those doe brown eyes, confused as he held the cloak closer. “He can't remember though.”

Stephen crouched down, blinking when the cloak didn't even attempt to grab at his shoulder but instead did a 180 to curl itself around the sad looking child. “Don't worry Tony, we'll fix this.”

“Fix what? Nuffin' wong, is it?”

He sighed and gave a forced smile as he patted the worried child's shoulder, “No, I suppose nothing's wrong. Would you like to stay with me for awhile? It seems to like you,” he nudged the cloak away as he reached for the child, only then did it finally return to his shoulders while he picked the child up to settle him on a hip.

“... If dat's otay wiff mommy.”

Stephen looked up at Bruce, who seemed worried, “Don't worry, I'll make sure it's alright.”

Tony giggled at the red fabric tickling at his chin, batting it away, “Otay I'ww stay.”

-

Wong sighed as he set a tray on the only clear spot on the table, the one that seems to randomly spawn tea, coffee, food on occasion as the sorcerer sat and researched possible cause and solution to their little rugrat. “Stephen you're burning yourself out.”

Stephen blinked up, legs crossed, as he finally turned away from the books to turn toward his friend, “What do you mean?”

Wong sighed at the sudden confused look, “You didn't even realize you're in astral form...”

Stephen waved it off, pulling the book back into his lap as he crossed his legs to continue reading, disregarding the distance away from his body or the fact he'd appeared to have fallen asleep from pure exhaustion. “I'm not hungry.”

“Of course you're not, you idiot,” Wong sighed as he checked his friend over before turning toward the preoccupied sorcerer. “You need actual sleep!”

“I've gone longer without, I need to figure this out.”

“Get some real sleep! And check in with the brat would you? I don't dare let him in here with all these very dangerous books everywhere.” He grumbled as he closed and cleaned a few of the obviously disproved books.

“He's not a brat,” Stephen glared, Wong just smirked, happy to finally get a rise out of the sorcerer.

“You're right, what he is is a brilliant child that can't keep his attention on any one thing at a time unless it involves a damn puzzle! I need some help here Stephen, I can't keep throwing him at apprentices and hoping they'll keep his attention for the day.”

Stephen rubbed at his brow as his brain finally let him rest and think beyond finding the cause and solution to Tony's predicament. “I'm sorry, my friend, I didn't realize how long I've been searching.”

“You and that boy have the same problem, once you've found something that truly catches your attention, wild horses couldn't draw you away from it.”

“Where is he anyway?”

“He's probably still sleeping which is what you will be doing. I'm sure I can keep him busy for a few hours while you get some actual rest. Now, off to bed with you,” Wong waved his hand in a dismissive manor while Stephen smiled and faded back to his body to sleepily drag himself back to his room.

-

Stephen was jerked awake by the sudden sound of fabric and the squeak of the door opening, “Huh?” He groggily stumbled upright and rubbed at his eyes, hissing at the pulling in the tendons when the action drew his fingers straight while he lumbered toward the door. The cloak was nowhere to be seen. An attack was the first thing that came to mind, what didn't come to mind was the child toddling through the hall, cloak hanging from his hand as it lead him toward the sleep addled sorcerer. “What's wrong?”

“Had a bad dweam,” Stephen sighed in relief as the cloak wrapped itself around the boy before reaching toward him. “Can you teww me a stowy?”

Stephen reached out, half using his arms when his hand cramped at trying to grip the child under the armpits, lifting him to his hip, “Alright, what kind of story do you want?” Tony only shrugged and set his head against the nearby shoulder, already looking to be half sleep. Stephen could only smile at the cloak reaching around the boy to rest a corner across his back, as if holding the child to him. “Alright then, how about this-” Stephen smile at the sleepy wide eyed fascination at the first time he'd learned to pull his spirit away from his body and interacting with the world from a different plane of existence.

Even with the amazed look and observant eyes, the poor tired child still nodded off well before Stephen got halfway through it. He smiled as he settled the boy back to bed and blinked at the cloak refusing to let go, he shook it off as the fact that the boy was still clutching a corner and wrote it off as that, even though it curled around the boy once the sorcerer let go.

-

Tony was sitting in front of the fireplace in Stephen's office when he opened the door, brows furrowed as he flipped through the pages in the book sitting in his lap. Stephen rushed forward before Wong caught his shoulder to keep him from taking the book away, “It's only shielding spells, no harm can come of them, even if the boy could conjure them.” He let out a relieves sigh, “He's been so interested in the novices' training I thought it might keep him occupied.”

Stephen took the opportunity to get them something warm to drink before alerting the boy to his presence. Tony jumped a bit when he reached out to stoke the fire after setting their drinks on the nearby table. “I brought some cocoa if you'd like some.”

Tony was frowning at the book as he took it with him, examining the pages as if his life depended on it. “I can't make it wowk.”

Stephen chuckled and took the book before setting the mug into the boy's hands, “You don't 'make' it work, you 'let' it work.”

Tony looked even more confused, sniffing at his mug and frowning, “Dat's not cocoa, it's diffewent.”

“Well it's hot chocolate, with marshmallows and just a bit of caramel drizzled in. My mom taught me to make it.”

Tony was clearly indecisive about it but gave another sniff before blowing on it. It took a few minutes and watching Stephen sip at his own before finally trying it. “Can you show me how to 'wet' it wowk?”

Stephen blinked as the boy set down his cocoa to climb into his lap to turn the pages of the book and show him. “It's, not really something that can be shown. You've seen the others, haven't you?”

“Yeah but day just, wowbots,” Tony frowned and clamored back down, disregarding the book he left sitting in Stephen's lap.

“They were training, I suppose you could call it robotic. Alright, I'll show you.” Tony took up his cocoa again and watched while Stephen knelt down and crossed his legs, “The movements are what gives it shape, purpose,” Tony's eyes widened as the spell took shape, “You're shaping it yes, but you're not creating anything really, you're just giving it a form and a purpose. And when you're finished,” Stephen tapped the image shimmering in front of him, completing the shield floating between him and the wide eyed child.

“Magic,” Tony gasped and grinned as he reached out to touch the designs swirling in front of his face.

Stephen chuckled and grinned right back, “Yes, magic.”

-

Stephen was reading while he kept an eye on the apprentices, the little kid looking frustrated making eyes turn on occasion as he mimicked a few of the moments. “Tony, lunch time.”

Tony's head jumped toward him and he smiled, “Otay Doc, come on cawpet, wunch!” Stephen laughed as the cloak quickly flew after the boy, panicking a moment when it snatched the boy's shoulders to pick him up in a toss before setting him back down on his feet. “Coming Doc?”

Stephen set a chair by the counter and gathered the things for pb&j's. one of Tony's favorite lunches, “I can fix dat Doc,” he blinked before the boy reached over to tap the watch still on his wrist, wincing when the glass no doubt tapped his finger. “Ow...”

“Are you bleeding?”

“Nope, just spwised me. I'm otay.” Stephen's eyes fell on the watch again as he frowned. Tony saw the look and reached over to hand him the jelly, “But, den again, it might not need fixed. Not evewyting need fixed.”

Stephen blinked over at the boy, who was head down finishing his construction before smiling, “Right, not everything needs fixed.”

“You nevew finished you stowy, Doc... About how you be away fwom you body.”

“Oh right, I didn't, did I?”

They sat at the table, Tony automatically taking bites of food and the occasional drink, while Stephen finished his story.

-

Tony was laying in front of the fire when Stephen entered the office, the young genius had a pencil in hand and scribbling something on a notepad, “Morning Tony.”

He got a hum but otherwise the boy was deep in thought, and occupied, so Stephen thought it best to get some more research done while the boy was busy.

He jumped when the boy shoved the notepad in his face, “Can you make dis?”

Stephen blinked and rubbed tired eyes as he looked over the drawing, “I don't know, I can't make it out.”

Tony sighed heavily and took out a new piece to draw a clear image of the design. “Can you?”

“Tony, how did you?” Stephen was looking over the design, confused at first before he realized what it was. It looked to be a merger of spells. “Let me, let me talk to Wong before anything. I think he'd want to see this.”

“Did I do it wong?” Tony checked the image again before shaking his head, “I did it wong didn't I?”

“No, actually I believe you may have designed something very helpful.”

Tony was shyly watching from outside the door, Stephen smiled the instant the cloak left his shoulder to wrap around the worried boy, as he talked to Wong and showed him the design. Wong's eyes jerked toward the boy, who ducked out of sight, before turning back to Stephen, “This is... very powerful, how on earth could he even create this design?”

“I haven't the slightest I only know that if that is possible it could be a great defense.”

“Well you're not wrong,” Wong rubbed a hand over his face as he handed the paper back. “The question is how to test it?”

“I thought I'd just, try it,” Stephen smirked, making Wong groan.

“Not it.”

Stephen laughed as he went to find where Tony had gotten too. He wasn't too surprised when he found Tony huddled in front of the fire, cloak curled around him as if refusing to let him go, looking over the design, “I did it wong didn't I?”

“No, actually, want to see if it works?”

Tony's eyes widened, he dropped the notepad and jumped up, “Yes!”

His hands kept cramping up, the spell shimmered and sparked before fading every time, and he rubbed at his fingers and blinked when Tony was tugging on his robe, “Wike dis,” Stephen blinked when the boy took his shaking hands and guided him. “Just need a pattewn to give it puwpose wight? Da mind cweates it, da hands just show how it sposed to be fowmed.”

He was startled when he saw a few sparks flare as Tony guided him, helping to keep him from hurting himself by forcing his fingers to forge the pattern instead of his mind. “Right.”

Tony looked so sad, “It's not wowking... I did someting wong.”

“No, let me try,” he caught the child's hand when he went to leave, “That wasn't the spell failing.” Tony blinked and looked confused.

Stephen calmed himself and recreated the pattern, Tony's eyes getting wider as the spell took shape until finally the shield was formed, floating in front of the sorcerer. “It wowked?” Tony jumped and looked around, trying to find something, while Stephen just smiled at the shield, the boy's spell actually worked.

“Tony, what are you doing?” The boy had picked something up from the ground and looked to be checking something, eyeing the shield and moving until he found what he wanted. “Tony, don't!”

Tony flicked the pebble at the shield and dove aside, the soft impact was suddenly met with a reaction. Stephen covered his ears as it sounded like a gunshot went off when it struck the spell and was repelled back the way it had came. “Tony!”

“It wowks!” The boy was bouncing so much he didn't even realize he was suddenly draped in red as the cloak wrapped around him protectively and didn't stop even when Stephen picked him up to check him for injuries, “It wowked Doc, it wowks!”

He sighed in relief when all he found was a scuffed elbow from the boy moving out of the way and rested his head against the boy's shoulder. “Yes it worked, but don't ever do anything that dangerous again, okay?”

Tony looked confused, “Otay...” Stephen took the boy inside, a hand wave dispersing the spell as he went. “But it wowked,” was mumbled randomly, as if the boy expected to be punished for failure rather than putting himself in harms way.

“Yes, it worked,” Stephen said, smiling, as he set the boy down in a chair near the fire. “How about some cocoa to celebrate?”

Tony's mood finally perked up, “Wiff cawamew?”

“With caramel.”

Tony beamed and waited for his cocoa.

-

“Doc,” Stephen mumbled sleepily at the door when a knock sounded, “You awake?”

“Yes, Tony, did you have a bad dream?”

“No, can't sweep. Can you wead dis to me?” Stephen's eyes widened when the boy set a book from the library into his lap, “I can't wead it...”

He sighed and smiled, beginner's stuff really, nothing worrying, even so it was probably too advanced for the boy to understand. “It's in Latin, that's why.”

“Can you twanswate it fow me?”

Stephen chuckled, “Are you sure you want me to read this one? It's really boring with a lot of complex theories about reality.”

“Yeah, want to weawn.” Stephen shifted over when Tony climbed into the bed to snuggle closer.

“Alright then,” he smiled when Tony just snuggled against the red fabric the moment it drifted over to drape over the boy. “Let's see, where to begin-”

“At da beginning siwwy,” Stephen grinned as the boy yawned, “And when you get to da ending, stop.”

“Alright, page one-”

-

Stephen went to check on Tony at lunchtime, the boy had been furiously annoying Wong most of the morning but the older sorcerer was honestly more than happy when he realized the boy wanted to read and learn rather than to just ask 'why' or play games so he left him be until then. When he made his way to the library though, Wong was nowhere to be seen and young Tony was glaring down at a notebook and looking to be near tears. “Tony, what's wrong?”

The young boy showed the first sign of actual anger he'd seen by shoving the notebook to the floor, somehow missing the rest of the books scattered the table, “It doesn't wowk! Nuffin' I twy wowks,” Stephen rounded the desk to grab the boy by the shoulders as he glares down at his hands, “Why don't day wowk?”

“Tony, it's alright,” he hugged the boy as he sniffled, “It's not about your hands. I had trouble too when I started out.”

“How did you fix it? How did you get it to wowk?”

Stephen snorted as he hugged the boy close, “I was put in a life or death situation, but I could never do anything like that to anyone.”

Tony snuffled softly as he wiped his eyes and Stephen blinked down at the determined look on the child's face, “I'ww be weady fow it den.”

The boy's mood had completely flipped as he gathered back up his notebook and went back to deciphering the books he'd been looking over. “Let's eat lunch, then you can read.”

“I'm not hungwee, tanks Doc.”

Stephen sighed but made sure to set Tony's favorite sandwich within reach, not surprised when the boy realized it was there and started eating as he continued with his research.

-

Tony stayed with the apprentices more often than not from then on, making Stephen worry at first but that worry quickly faded when it turned to Tony dragging him to meals to make sure the doctor had eaten once he'd finally returned to his search.

Currently he was needing a soundboard to bounce ideas off. If it was any other subject, honestly, he would have given Christine a call. “Wong, trust me, it's not a break in time, I'd- I'd feel if that happened. I have ever since,” Stephen shook his head and couldn't stop the shudder creeping up his shoulders.

“Alright, if it's not the space time continuum then what else could be the cause?”

“Worm hole maybe? I don't know that's the point of this...”

“Alright, you're a doctor after all, how would you go about treating this without knowing the cause?”

Stephen laughed as his eyes turned toward the ceiling, “I'd get a psyc eval.”

Wong couldn't help but chuckle as his friend finally had a true laugh for what felt like weeks. He tipped a brow up when everything cut off as a sudden look of realization dawned, “What is it?”

“If it was viral, without any reason to believe it was in a contagious or potentially lethal phase we'd let it run its course...” Stephen bolted towards a section he hadn't yet truly began studying. “Where's the spells for healing?”

“Healing what?”

“Wong, I need to diagnose and find out what it is, why didn't I think of this before?! I wasted all that time thinking it was a spell, maybe it has nothing to do with magic. Maybe it's something unknown to humans. The Avengers take care of alien threats to Earth! It might be something as simple as a cold to them but to us it could have a completely different effect!”

Wong sighed and searched through, the stacks “These will get you started, but good luck getting the kid to stay still long enough to do it.”

Stephen gathered up the books and took off to start studying up on Astral healing.

-

Tony wouldn't accept an examination when Stephen had called in a Healer, “Onwy Docs can give exams, mommy said so...” He'd tucked himself under Stephen's arm and the sorcerer groaned when he felt the cloak wrap the boy's shoulder and ruffle at the Healer.

“I'm not, skilled, in this type of examination Tony, I know how to do it but I might miss something.”

“Don't cawe, I feew fine, onwy going to do exam if you do it. Onwy Docs can do exams anyway.” Tony just tucked himself against Stephen's side and watched the Healer.

“It's alright, Tony, I understand,” the Healer, for her part, was smiling and kneeling down. “I'm sure Dr. Strange is more than capable to make sure everything is alright, but he wanted a second opinion to make sure he did it right.”

Tony seemed a little less worried after that, even chatted a bit while Stephen stepped away to make a phone call, he needed some backup on this one.

“I just need you to keep the boy calm and as still as possible,” was the instruction he'd given over the phone. “Please, Christine, I need some help here...”

“Okay, Stephen, I'll do it,” was all she could say in response.

“You always did like working with kid,” he'd joked, she'd laughed that laugh he knew too well. The bad day, probably or about to get worse. “I'll see you after work then?”

“Yeah, I'll be there. But you owe me for this.”

“Thank you.”

-

Tony rested back on his bed, everyone involved thought it would be a better idea in hopes the boy would stay relaxed and calm, “So, you a Doc too?”

“Yep, Dr. Christine Palmer, nice to meet you,” Tony shook the hand offered as he settled back and watched Stephen pulling up a chair. “I'm just here to give Stephen moral support, he always works better with an audience.”

Stephen smirked, settling in the chair, “Alright, Tony, I need you to just relax and try not to move around, okay?”

“Otay,” Stephen wasn't amused in the least, nor surprised, when the cloak dove across the boy.

“None of that, you need to stay away so I can do this right,” he jerked back his hand when the winged pendants seemed to snap at him. “Oh, is that what's going on?” The cloak fluttered, stretching itself over the boy to hug him before gently floating away to circle back around Stephen's shoulders, “I thought so.”

“What's wong?”

“It's just worried, like the rest of us. It's just that it's the first time I've done this so, jitters. Now, you'll see lights and shapes, like the spells and you might feel cold but I just need you to stay relaxed. It's sort of like an x-ray.”

“Otay...” The boy shifted a bit as Stephen took a calming breath and raised his hands to start.

As the pattern was woven and the magic flared, Stephen closed his eyes as he concentrated while Tony's widened in a familiar way as his eyes roved over the lights. Christine knew that look, watching, taking in every detail to memory, she'd seen those same eyes daily, at least when she and Stephen had worked together. “Tony, are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, it's pwetty,” she stepped closer to the bed when she saw the boy's hands clench, keeping himself from reaching out to touch the pattern. “Doc, evewyting otay?”

“He's okay Tony, let him concentrate, we don't want him to miss something.”

“Otay.”

Stephen felt something, it reminded of shivering in a blanket, huddled over a cup of warm tea or a bowl of soup, of sniffles and a drippy nose. It was an illness. He dove passed the sensations, hoping to search out either the cause or hopefully- There he was. “Tony,” huddled and shivering was the mental form of the man now trapped in his much younger body. “Tony, it's time to come back. It's time to get better.”

The image tilted its head toward the voice, “Get better?”

“Yes, come on Tony, I'll help you.”

When the image reached out and grabbed his hand he gasped, suddenly flung back into his body, making the chair jolt and nearly pitching him to the floor. Only the flutter of a cloak kept him from that outcome. “Doc, don't feew good,” Tony suddenly curled in on himself and started shivering so hard his teeth clattered.

“Oh god, did I make it worse?”

“I'll get the thermometer,” Christine bolted for her bag while Stephen bundled up the shivering boy.

Tony's temperature, somehow, was normal. All Stephen could do was hold the shivering boy, now wrapped in his cloak and hope he warms back up. “How about some cocoa?”

Tony's teeth still hadn't stopped clattering, “Wiff cawamew?”

“With caramel.”

“Otay,” Tony finally let go of him and curled up under the warm blankets while the doctor went to get him something warm to drink.

It took some time but he finally got the shivers down to the occasional shake before Tony yawned and curled up to sleep. “Now, I need you to stay in bed until you feel better.”

“But, gotta twain wiff da sowcewews and esses.”

“Tony, I'm serious, we need you to get well, then you can study and train all you want.”

Stephen sighed when the boy just clung to him before finally the little hands seemed to fall away, too tired to even attempt to argue.

He didn't realize until after he'd tucked Tony in for the night, feeling the weight of his cloak when it finally decided the boy could rest on his own, that the familiar weight in his pocket was gone. He frowned down as he checked it, he must have left his ring in his room before the examination.

-

Regardless of the child's usual over active self, Stephen was able to actually keep him in bed the next few days. Though he had his suspicions that Wong was slipping the boy books to keep him occupied whenever he checked up on him or went to visit to keep him company, the boy panicked and always shoved something out of sight. Either under the pillow or blanket or even under the bed the few times he'd found the boy jumping up from the floor. His theory was backed when his cloak suddenly dove under the bed to hide whatever it was when he moved to check to make sure it wasn't anything dangerous. The cloak just ruffled at him until he let the blanket fall back over the hiding spot as Tony just blinked at him with those innocent doe eyes, and didn't return until he'd sat with the boy, he'd wanted a story that visit, and headed out to make them some lunch. “Doc, can I have da book on astwaw pwojection? Wanna wead it.”

“I don't think you can Tony, it's not in English, actually it took me a good while to find a translator for it.”

“I'm suwe I'ww get by.”

“Alright I'll see if Wong will bring it the next time he comes by.” Tony had looked confused at that but Stephen didn't press it, he'd just went to get lunch for them.

“Wong could you take Tony a book on Astral projection on your next visit? He's curious about it.”

“Next visit,” Wong had looked confused, making Stephen nearly drop the butter knife he'd been using to make Tony's favorite lunch. “I haven't had time to check on him, is everything alright?”

“You haven't been taking him books to keep him out of trouble?”

Wong's head turned toward him before he sighed and headed for the library, “Not again!”

Stephen bolted out of the kitchen, heading back to Tony's room to figure out how the boy was getting the books.

-

When Stephen threw open the doors, he found out the culprit, the cloak suddenly shot past him and dove over the scattered books on the bed of the now started boy before dragging its haul under the bed with it. “Seriously? You?”

Of course he didn't get a response, the infuriating thing only poked a single winged pendent out from under the bed to wave it at him as if warning, or possibly flipping him off, at that point he wasn't sure about mannerisms when it came to the cloak. Tony had curled toward the head of the bed with a worried expression on his face, “Did I do wong?”

“No Tony, not at all! Next time, just ask for the books, it worries us when things go missing.”

About the time he'd gotten the boy to calm down, Wong burst through the door with about the same flare Stephen had, making the boy jump again and the cloak to ruffle loudly from its place of guarding the books. “They're gone!”

“I know, it's alright, the cloak of Levitation has been sneaking him books...” He physically grabbed the corner that poked out from under the bed and tugged, ended up leaning and pulling as hard as he could before he finally gave up when the cloak just wouldn't budge, “Alright you nuisance, but nothing dangerous, alright?”

He heard the sound of fabric in a harsh gale but still didn't see any splashes of red once the cloak had retreated fully under the bed. Tony just blinked and frowned as Stephen left the room, expecting to have the books taken away and surprised they hadn't been. “Doc, I'm kinda hungwee, can I have 2 sammiches today?”

“Of course,” Stephen smiled, “How about some cocoa too?”

“Wiff cawamew?” His fear seemed to ease at the thought.

“With caramel.”

“Tanks Doc.”

The door closed as Stephen went back to making lunch, Tony waited for the steps to fade before climbing down to peak under the bed. Red fluttered in his face before he hugged the fabric, “Tanks cawpet.” The cloak patted him and wrapped around him, holding up the ring he hadn't had time to hide when he'd been interrupted. “You da bestest.”

-

“Dormammu, I've come to bargain,” was the only words he could say, the only words that didn't make his voice shake. _I will die, but they will live._ Repeated over and over again every time his feet left that rock to approach his death. His voice never shook, no until his lungs couldn't expand, not until his chest was crushed, punctured, torn. Not until the moment ended and he stood on that damn rock again. Until his feet lifted up once more and he approached, again and again. _They will live._ Became the only thought as he continued on. Even through concussions, trauma, cracked skulls, only the seconds before death, when thought was impossible did it stop. Only to start again the next, feet standing on that rock. Again approaching his captive.

It didn't stop, it never stopped, moments blurred together, “Dormammu.” again and again, “I've come,” over and over, “to bargain.”  _They will live._

Stephen jerked awake at that final time, “Enough!” caused his eyes to shoot open and his heart to race as he sat up and looked around. Soft bed, he wasn't standing on that rock, he was laying in a soft bed. He jolted back when something brushed his arm only to see a soft flutter of red drift back to him and reach out to wrap around his hand, pulling him.

“I'm alright, it's just a nightmare,” the cloak didn't let up though, it pulled and tugged until he sighed and resorted to following it as it led him along.

He rolled his eyes and smiled sadly when he realize it had led him right to Tony's room, “The boy's sick, I don't want to bother him.”

He ended up with a very annoyed cloak shoving him toward the handle before draping over his shoulders. “Alright, but if he's sleeping I'm not waking him.”

Not too surprisingly the boy was bundled up, sitting on the bed in a nest of opened books, reading by the light of a lamp. “I, had a bad dream.”

Tony's eyes jolted toward the door, as if startled. “Bad dweam?”

“Yeah, I was wondering if you'd tell me a story?”

Tony smiled and started stacking books and dropping them beside the bed, scooting over to make room and Stephen couldn't help but chuckle. “Otay, um, what type of stowy?”

Stephen just shrugged as he sat on the side of the bed and rested back against the wall, “Any kind.”

“Oh, how about when mommy took me to Itawy wiff hew! Dat's my favowite.”

Stephen just smiled and listed as the boy rambled on, not even really noticing when he'd fallen asleep again.

-

Stephen groaned softly at the creak in his neck when he shifted and started waking up. “Mornin' Doc.” His eyes flew open at the unknown voice and he jumped up, his cloak fluttering at the sudden movement, as if just being awoken as well. “Whoa, easy with the hocus pocus.” He rubbed sleep crusted eyes to blink at the man at the window. “It's me. Looks like my flu let up.”

“Tony?”

“The one and only,” Stephen groaned as his neck gave a sudden, loud, crack, “Ouch that sounded like it hurt.”

“I need coffee.. Too early for this.”

“How about cocoa instead,” Tony smiled as he held out a warm cup of hot chocolate to the confused sorcerer.

“With caramel?”

“Of course,” Tony smirked as those blue eyes suddenly bolted open at the first sip.

“And Scotch apparently,” Stephen coughed as he tried to get over the initial shock.

“Yeah, well, after the last few months I've had I'd say I earned it.”

Stephen nodded at the drink before taking another good swig, “For future reference, Vodka goes better with caramel, it doesn't damage the taste like dark alcohol does.”

Tony laughed and set the book he'd been thumbing through down, “I'll keep that in mind Doc. Hey ,carpet, what, no hug?”

Stephen felt the cloak, that had been clinging desperately to his shoulders, finally lift up before it fluttered over to wrap the man, “I don't think it was sure it was you.”

“Yeah, I get that.” Tony smiled and held tight, “Well, I guess it's time to get out of Wonderland, ay Scarecrow?”

Stephen laughed as he set down the cup, “How about a real breakfast first, Tinman, then we'll see about getting you home.”

“Sounds good to me.”

  
  


 


End file.
